18. Camelina meal and table egg n-3 fatty acids

Abstract

Polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids such as α-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid are important nutrients and have been linked to lowering the risks of several metabolic, auto immunological and cardiovascular disorders. Omega-3 fatty acid concentrations in modern Western diets are relatively low compared to Mediterranean diets which are generally considered healthier and tend to include greater use of olive oil and fish products. One approach to providing a source of omega-3 fatty acids in our daily diet is by incorporation of n-3 fatty acid rich ingredients in laying hen feeds to produce eggs that have enriched n-3 fatty acids profiles. This methodology is used by today’s poultry nutritionist to produce the so called designer eggs, which should contain a minimum of 300 mg total n-3 fatty acids per 100 g egg weight. Different ingredients have been used in poultry feeds to accomplish this goal, such as fish meal and flax or linseed meal. However, too much of these types of ingredients can have a negative impact on laying hen performance or consumer acceptability due to the fishy odor of the table eggs. For example linatine (1-amino-D-proline-glutamate) and linomarin (a neurotoxic cyanogen glycoside) found in flax seed are somewhat toxic to poultry which limits the amount of linseed meal that can be fed to roughly 10% or so of the diet. Camelina sativa, false flex, also has a relatively high content of omega-3 fatty acids. Camelina meal can contain several antinutrionals such as glucosinolates, sinapine, phytic acid and condensed tannins which, like flax, limit its use in poultry feeds to roughly 10% of the total diet. Because of its relatively high concentration of n-3 fatty acids, extruded defatted camelina meal has been proposed as a feasible feed source for laying hens to produce eggs rich in n-3 fatty acids. In addition, those eggs would have similar taste and sensory attributes to ‘regular’ eggs when produced from hens fed no more than 10% camelina meal. It can thus essentially be used in the same manner as flax, or linseed meal for producing designer eggs enriched with n-3 fatty acids.